Ok, so, here's the thing.I am completely new to the hardware side of things(other than tinkering with computers, but nothing low level), and wanted to start on a simple project.

I went to an Arcade once when I was out of town and instead of using tokens, they used a chip that stores how much money you put on it and how many tickets you have. Being a curious lad, I started to wonder how easy it would be to just hook it up to my computer and change some numbers around.I found the chip model(Atmel AT24C11) and the product specs ( http://www.atmel.com/dyn/products/produ ... rt_id=3261 ), but since I haven't really done anything like this, I'm not sure how to go about it.

Can anyone point me in the right direction on where I should start? This isn't to get free games, just to see if it would be possible. That arcade is over 500 miles away and I don't plan on going back.

Also, if anyone has any tips on books or websites that would be good to help me get started in this area, I would appreciate it.Thanks!

Well the low level hardware stuff isn't exactly my field either but if you want to find out who sold/created the system the arcade is using. More then likely it was package deal with the chip writers already included. Once you know that you can find out how difficult it would be to get replacement writers for the system. You may even find out the writer's specs from that.

Without having seen the system I don't know for sure but if I had to guess I would say that more then likely the electronic "tokens" only store your name or ID number. Then when you use the token at a game the machine is probably networked back to an admin console which actually stores the amount of money on a card. At least that is how I would do it that would be more secure then cards that could be hacked. Good Luck! I hope you figure it out.